KSS Architects’ role in Princeton Township’s new municipal complex seemed preordained. In the mid-1990s, the township selected KSS to design the building only to withdraw the opportunity shortly thereafter. Politics later brought the project, then under the design direction of another firm, to a standstill and by June 1997, the township was ready to start over. After a design charrette, which attracted 33 architectural firms, the township selected their winner: Once again, they had picked KSS, the firm right across the street.
The design entry stood out for several reasons. It projected the mayor’s office out of the building facade, thrusting the official into prominent view of the public. The central axis of the new courtroom aligned with the existing courtroom across the street, acknowledging the township’s history and the transition of authority from past to the present.
KSS organized the complex’s myriad of services into a layout visitors can easily navigate. The building’s east elevation stands two stories, harmonizing with the neighboring residential architecture. The project has given the township a serious and meaningful identity.
